Roundup: Venezuelan gov't, opposition agree to postpone election date to May 20

CARACAS, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela announced the new date May 20 for presidential elections, following an agreement between the government and opposition parties on Thursday.

They also agreed to hold regional and local legislative elections on the same day, Tibisay Lucena, president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), told reporters at a press conference.

"We want to announce the following to the country: the day of the elections will be May 20," said Lucena.

The agreement pushes back elections that had been scheduled to take place on April 22, a date that had in turn moved up elections originally set for December.

"Over the next few hours we will be providing the details of the reprogramming ... to guarantee these elections are technically viable," said Lucena.

Agreeing a new date entailed extending the voter registration period to March 10, among other adjustments.

The new agreement called on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to put together an observer mission to monitor the elections.

It also called for the creation of a high-level group comprised of representatives of the presidential candidates, to ensure the electoral process proceeds as planned.

President Nicolas Maduro will run for re-election as candidate of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela and eight other political organizations or movements, including Movement for Change and Venezuela's Communist Party.

Maduro's main rival seems to be former Lara state Governor Henri Falcon, who has registered to run as candidate of the Progressive Advance and Movement Towards Socialism parties.

Representatives of those two parties signed Thursday's agreement.

So far, 25 potential candidates, most representing political parties, but also a few independents, have registered with the CNE, which has reviewed and approved of four, said Lucena.

Those approved include Maduro and Falcon, as well as Reinaldo Quijada, an electric engineer opposed to Maduro, and Javier Bertucci, a 48-year-old evangelical preacher.

Venezuela's coalition of right-wing parties known as the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), whose candidate lost to Maduro last time, is so far refusing to take part in the election process.

The MUD has also condemned Falcon for registering as a candidate, saying his participation legitimizes the electoral process.

Venezuela's National Constituent Assembly (ANC) issued a decree Thursday endorsing the agreement, with ANC President Delcy Rodriguez saying it has "transcendent importance for Venezuelan democracy" and leaves parties "trying to boycott our participative democracy ... isolated." Enditem